Tracking and verification of physical assets

ABSTRACT

An example operation may include one or more of receiving a unique identifier and a security value from an object, retrieving a previously stored security value of the object from a database based on the received unique identifier, determining that the object is verified based on the received security value and the previously stored security value, and modifying the previously stored security value to generate a modified security value and transmitting the modified security value to the database.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to a system for storing data via ablockchain, and more particularly, to a system which can track andverify a physical object using a nonce value and a unique identifierwhich can be read from a storage of the physical object.

BACKGROUND

A centralized database stores and maintains data in a single database(e.g., a database server). The location of the database is often acentral computer, for example, a desktop central processing unit (CPU),a server CPU, or a mainframe computer. Information stored on thecentralized database is typically accessible from multiple differentpoints. In this way, multiple users or client workstations can worksimultaneously on the centralized database, for example, based on aclient/server configuration. Within a centralized database, dataredundancy is minimized as a single storing place of all data alsoimplies that a given set of data only has one primary record. Recently,organizations have turned to blockchain as an improved storage systemover a traditional database. Blockchain offers numerous benefits overthe traditional centralized database including data redundancy, nosingle central authority, multiple nodes of access, and the like.

On the other hand, the exchange or sale of physical assets (e.g.,products) is often unsecure. In other words, when a customer/consumerpurchases a physical object such as clothing, consumer devices,equipment, etc., they tend to take the seller's word that the seller hasauthority to sell the asset. Furthermore, manufacturers and consumersare always looking for new channels to sell their products. As a result,online marketplaces, second-hand purchase websites and mobileapplications, and the like, have become attractive channels for sellingand/or exchanging physical assets.

As such, what is needed is a solution that improves security of physicalassets and overcomes these drawbacks and limitations.

SUMMARY

One example embodiment provides a system that includes one or more of anetwork interface configured to receive a signed storage request whichcomprises a unique identifier of an object, a public key of the object,and a signed security value associated with the object, and a processorconfigured to one or more of determine, via code installed on a databasenode, whether the signed storage request is valid based on a signatureof the signed storage request and a signature of the security value ofthe object, and in response to validation of the signed storage request,generate a storage object based on the signed storage request whichincludes the unique identifier, the public key of the object, and thesigned security value, and store the generated storage object in a datastore of the database node.

Another example embodiment provides a method that includes one or moreof receiving a signed storage request which comprises a uniqueidentifier of an object, a public key of the object, and a signedsecurity value associated with the object, determining, via codeinstalled on a database node, whether the signed storage request isvalid based on a signature of the signed storage request and a signatureof the signed security value of the object, and in response tovalidation of the signed storage request, generating a storage objectbased on the signed storage request which includes the uniqueidentifier, the public key of the object, and the signed security value,and storing the generated storage object in a data store the databasenode.

A further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more of receiving a signed storage requestwhich comprises a unique identifier of an object, a public key of theobject, and a signed security value associated with the object,determining, via code installed on a database node, whether the signedstorage request is valid based on a signature of the signed storagerequest and a signature of the signed security value of the object, andin response to validation of the signed storage request, generating astorage object based on the signed storage request which includes theunique identifier, the public key of the object, and the signed securityvalue, and storing the generated storage object in a data store thedatabase node.

Another example embodiment provides a system that includes one or moreof a storage configured to store a unique identifier and a securityvalue from an object, a processor configured to one or more of retrievea previously stored security value of the object from a blockchain basedon the received unique identifier, determine that the object is verifiedbased on the received security value and the previously stored securityvalue, and modify the previously stored security value to generate amodified security value, and a network interface configured to transmitthe modified security value to the blockchain.

Another example embodiment provides a method that includes one or moreof receiving a unique identifier and a security value from an object,retrieving a previously stored security value of the object from ablockchain based on the received unique identifier, determining that theobject is verified based on the received security value and thepreviously stored security value, and modifying the previously storedsecurity value to generate a modified security value and transmittingthe modified security value to the blockchain.

A further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more of receiving a unique identifier and asecurity value from an object, retrieving a previously stored securityvalue of the object from a blockchain based on the received uniqueidentifier, determining that the object is verified based on thereceived security value and the previously stored security value, andmodifying the previously stored security value to generate a modifiedsecurity value and transmitting the modified security value to theblockchain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a system for registering an objectwith a blockchain according to example embodiments.

FIGS. 1B and 1C are diagrams illustrating a system for validating atransfer of an object and updating a nonce of the object according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example blockchain architectureconfiguration, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a blockchain transactional flow amongnodes, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a permissioned network, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating another permissioned network,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating a permissionless network, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a process of registering a physicalobject for tracking via a blockchain according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a process of verifying the trackedphysical object during a purchase according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a process of modifying a securityvalue of the tracked physical object according to example embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a method of verifying an object basedon a signed security value according to example embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a method of updating a signed securityvalue according to example embodiments.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example system configured toperform one or more operations described herein, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating another example system configured toperform one or more operations described herein, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a further example system configured toutilize a smart contract, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating yet another example system configuredto utilize a blockchain, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a process of a new block being addedto a distributed ledger, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating data contents of a new data block,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7C is a diagram illustrating a blockchain for digital content,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7D is a diagram illustrating a block which may represent thestructure of blocks in the blockchain, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example blockchain which storesmachine learning (artificial intelligence) data, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an example quantum-secure blockchain,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example system that supports one ormore of the example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the instant components, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments of at least one of amethod, apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium and system,as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit thescope of the application as claimed but is merely representative ofselected embodiments.

The instant features, structures, or characteristics as describedthroughout this specification may be combined or removed in any suitablemanner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases“example embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or other similar language,throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearancesof the phrases “example embodiments”, “in some embodiments”, “in otherembodiments”, or other similar language, throughout this specificationdo not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and thedescribed features, structures, or characteristics may be combined orremoved in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Further, inthe diagrams, any connection between elements can permit one-way and/ortwo-way communication even if the depicted connection is a one-way ortwo-way arrow. Also, any device depicted in the drawings can be adifferent device. For example, if a mobile device is shown sendinginformation, a wired device could also be used to send the information.

In addition, while the term “message” may have been used in thedescription of embodiments, the application may be applied to many typesof networks and data. Furthermore, while certain types of connections,messages, and signaling may be depicted in exemplary embodiments, theapplication is not limited to a certain type of connection, message, andsignaling.

Example embodiments provide methods, systems, components, non-transitorycomputer readable media, devices, and/or networks, which are capable oftracking a physical asset as it moves through a delivery path amongdifferent buyers and sellers.

In one embodiment, the physical asset (also referred to herein as aphysical object) may be tracked via a decentralized database (such as ablockchain) that is a distributed storage system which includes multiplenodes that communicate with each other. The decentralized databaseincludes an append-only immutable data structure resembling adistributed ledger capable of maintaining records between mutuallyuntrusted parties. The untrusted parties are referred to herein as peersor peer nodes. Each peer maintains a copy of the database records and nosingle peer can modify the database records without a consensus beingreached among the distributed peers. For example, the peers may executea consensus protocol to validate blockchain storage transactions, groupthe storage transactions into blocks, and build a hash chain over theblocks. This process forms the ledger by ordering the storagetransactions, as is necessary, for consistency. In various embodiments,a permissioned and/or a permissionless blockchain can be used. In apublic or permission-less blockchain, anyone can participate without aspecific identity. Public blockchains can involve native cryptocurrencyand use consensus based on various protocols such as Proof of Work(PoW). On the other hand, a permissioned blockchain database providessecure interactions among a group of entities which share a common goalbut which do not fully trust one another, such as businesses thatexchange funds, goods, information, and the like.

The blockchain may operate arbitrary, programmable logic, tailored to adecentralized storage scheme and referred to as “smart contracts” or“chaincodes.” In some cases, specialized chaincodes may exist formanagement functions and parameters which are referred to as systemchaincode. The application can further utilize smart contracts that aretrusted distributed applications which leverage tamper-proof propertiesof the blockchain database and an underlying agreement between nodes,which is referred to as an endorsement or endorsement policy. Blockchaintransactions associated with this application can be “endorsed” beforebeing committed to the blockchain while transactions, which are notendorsed, are disregarded. An endorsement policy allows chaincode tospecify endorsers for a transaction in the form of a set of peer nodesthat are necessary for endorsement. When a client sends the transactionto the peers specified in the endorsement policy, the transaction isexecuted to validate the transaction. After validation, the transactionsenter an ordering phase in which a consensus protocol is used to producean ordered sequence of endorsed transactions grouped into blocks.

The blockchain can include nodes configured therein that are thecommunication entities of the blockchain system. A “node” may perform alogical function in the sense that multiple nodes of different types canrun on the same physical server. Nodes are grouped in trust domains andare associated with logical entities that control them in various ways.Nodes may include different types, such as a client or submitting-clientnode which submits a transaction-invocation to an endorser (e.g., peer),and broadcasts transaction-proposals to an ordering service (e.g.,ordering node). Another type of node is a peer node which can receiveclient submitted transactions, commit the transactions and maintain astate and a copy of the ledger of blockchain transactions. Peers canalso have the role of an endorser, although it is not a requirement. Anordering-service-node or orderer is a node running the communicationservice for all nodes, and which implements a delivery guarantee, suchas a broadcast to each of the peer nodes in the system when committingtransactions and modifying a world state of the blockchain, which isanother name for the initial blockchain transaction which normallyincludes control and setup information.

The blockchain may include a ledger that is a sequenced,tamper-resistant record of all state transitions of a blockchain. Statetransitions may result from chaincode invocations (i.e., transactions)submitted by participating parties (e.g., client nodes, ordering nodes,endorser nodes, peer nodes, etc.). Each participating party (such as apeer node) can maintain a copy of the ledger. A transaction may resultin a set of asset key-value pairs being committed to the ledger as oneor more operands, such as creates, updates, deletes, and the like. Theledger includes a blockchain (also referred to as a chain) which is usedto store an immutable, sequenced record in blocks. The ledger alsoincludes a state database which maintains a current state of theblockchain.

The chain (of the blockchain) is a transaction log which is structuredas hash-linked blocks, and each block contains a sequence of Ntransactions where N is equal to or greater than one. The block headerincludes a hash of the block's transactions, as well as a hash of theprior block's header. In this way, all transactions on the ledger may besequenced and cryptographically linked together. Accordingly, it is notpossible to tamper with the ledger data without breaking the hash links.A hash of a most recently added blockchain block represents everytransaction on the chain that has come before it, making it possible toensure that all peer nodes are in a consistent and trusted state. Thechain may be stored on a peer node file system (i.e., local, attachedstorage, cloud, etc.), efficiently supporting the append-only nature ofthe blockchain workload.

The current state of the immutable ledger represents the latest valuesfor all keys that are included in the chain transaction log. Since thecurrent state represents the latest key values known to a channel, it issometimes referred to as a world state. Chaincode invocations executetransactions against the current state data of the ledger. To make thesechaincode interactions efficient, the latest values of the keys may bestored in a state database. The state database may be simply an indexedview into the chain's transaction log, it can therefore be regeneratedfrom the chain at any time. The state database may automatically berecovered (or generated if needed) upon peer node startup, and beforetransactions are accepted.

In an environment such as a supply chain, an online purchasing site, andthe like, a buyer has to trust that a physical asset has not beencounterfeited or stolen. The example embodiments provide a system whichcan provide proofed tracking of physical assets using achallenge/response approach that is supported by a blockchain to verifysecurely the authenticity of the physical asset. The physical asset maybe a product or other item that is tangible such as a piece of clothing,a device (consumer electronic), a textile, or any other product. Thephysical asset may include a storage that is attached thereto (e.g.,hardware security module, a key store, a RFID tag, etc.) which stores aunique identifier (UID) of the physical asset which can be used toidentify the asset with a blockchain. In some embodiments, the storagemay also store a nonce (also referred to herein as a security value,etc.) which is known to the asset, signed by the asset, and which can beupdated each time the asset transfers from one party to another toprevent a replay attack (e.g., a previous owner reclaiming the assetwith a previous nonce value, etc.).

A manufacturer of the asset may initially register the asset to theblockchain. During registration, the unique ID and the nonce along witha signature of the asset may be stored on a blockchain ledger. Here, thesignature may be performed using a private key of the asset. When acustomer purchases the asset from the manufacturer (or some otherseller), the customer may verify the asset is valid by reading the nonce(signed with the private key) and the unique ID from the asset andretrieving a previously stored nonce of the asset from the blockchain.If the nonce read from the asset and the nonce previously recorded onthe blockchain are a match, and the signature is valid, the customer canvalidate the asset and proceed with a purchase, etc. In someembodiments, a smart contract executing on the blockchain may triggerthe purchase.

Some of the benefits provided by the system described herein include theability to verify the authenticity of a physical (tangible) asset usinga combination of blockchain and readable storage on the asset. A smartcontract executing on the blockchain can prevent replay attacks based onthe nonce value stored on the blockchain ledger. Furthermore, a clientand/or the asset itself may modify the nonce value and update the valueon the blockchain ledger each time a purchase/exchange of the object ismade ensuring that older nonce values cannot be used to sell the asset.The nonce value may be increased each operation, for example, by addingone or some predetermined number to a nonce value, etc. Accordingly, aprevious owner of the asset cannot re-claim the asset by resending theoriginal registration message. When the nonce value is incorrect or anold version, the smart contract may reject.

FIG. 1A illustrates a system 100A for registering an object (asset 110)with a blockchain (blockchain peer 130) according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 1A, a manufacturer (manufacturing device120) may register with the blockchain peer 130 by exchanging public keyswith the blockchain peer 130. In addition, the manufacturer may registera physical asset 110 with the blockchain peer 130 to initially store arecord of the physical asset 110 on the blockchain. In this example, themanufacturer device 120 includes a key pair (public and private key) forsigning and subsequent verification and the physical asset 110 includesa respective key pair for signing and verification. The public keys maybe shared enabling other entities to verify the data which has beensigned with the private key, while the private keys remain with themanufacturer device 120 and the physical asset 110, respectively, thusenabling signature by only the manufacturer device 120 and the physicalasset 110, respectively.

For example, the manufacturer 120 may trigger a hardware security module(HSM) 113 on the physical asset 110 with a challenge thereby causing aresponse from the HSM 113. For example, the HSM 113 may be attached toor embedded within the physical asset 110. As another example, the HSM113 may be external from the asset 110 but under the control of thephysical asset 110. Here, the manufacturer 120 may read and write datato and from the physical asset 110 using radio frequency identification(RFID) technology, or the like. The HSM 113 may be a key store, a tag,etc. which includes a storage for storing data a processor forcontrolling communications with the manufacturer 120 or any otherdevice.

The manufacturer 120 may submit a challenge to the physical asset 110and the HSM 113 may respond with the unique ID 111 of the physical asset110 which is unique to all other objects registered with the blockchain.In addition, the HSM 113 may generate a public key and a private key(key pair).

According to various embodiments, the manufacturer 120 may generate anonce 112 and transmit the nonce 112 to the physical asset 110. Thenonce 112 may be referred to herein as a security value, a counter, orthe like. The nonce 112 may act as a counter, etc., which comprises avalue which can be dynamically changed (e.g., incrementally, etc.) toprevent replay attacks. In response, the HSM 113 may sign the nonce 112and return the signed nonce 112 to the manufacturer 120. Here, themanufacturer 120 may create and transmit a blockchain transactionrequest to the blockchain peer node 130 for registering the unique ID111 and the nonce 112 of the physical asset 110 on a blockchain ledger134.

In this example, the physical asset 110 may include a secret key store(e.g., HSM 113) and a unique identifier 112 of the physical asset 110.The blockchain peer 130 may operate a trusted blockchain instance whichstores a blockchain ledger with pairs of unique ID's and nonce values ofmany products/physical assets, etc. In some embodiments, themanufacturer 120 may be a member of the blockchain and access theblockchain through the blockchain peer 130.

Access to the blockchain ledger 134 may be controlled by a smartcontract 132. Here, the smart contract 132 may validate the signature ofthe transaction request from the manufacturer 120, and a signature ofthe nonce 112, and add the unique ID 111 and the nonce 112 to theblockchain ledger 134. According to various aspects, the smart contract132 may verify unique data of the physical asset 110 including theunique identifier 111 and the nonce 112. The smart contract 132 maystore the unique data of the physical asset 110 on a blockchain ledger134 such as within a data block on a blockchain, within a key valuestore of the blockchain, within a world state database, and the like.Furthermore, the smart contract 132 may validate the signatures of thephysical asset 110 signing the nonce 112 and a verifier (shown in FIGS.1B and 1C) signing the request to verify the physical asset 110.

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate a system 100B for validating an authenticityof the asset 110 and a system 100C for updating a nonce 112 of the asset110 according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1B, averification device 140 corresponds to a purchaser of the physical asset110. For example, the manufacturer (corresponding to manufacturer device120) may sell the physical asset 110 to a seller which controlsverification device 140. Prior to making the purchase, the verificationdevice 140 may verify whether the physical asset 110 is avalid/authentic asset owned by the entity making the sale (in thisexample the manufacturer). In other words, the verification device 140may verify that the seller has rights to sell the physical asset 110based on data previously stored on the blockchain.

For example, the verification device 140 may include a reader/writer 142capable of reading data from the physical asset 110. In response, thephysical asset 110 may transmit the unique identifier 111 and the nonce112 signed by the private key of the physical asset 110. In addition,the verification device 140 may request/receive the previously storedunique identifier and nonce of the physical asset 110 as stored by theblockchain peer 130 in the example of FIG. 1A. In this example, theblockchain peer 130 may receive the unique identifier 111 and retrieve apreviously stored nonce associated with the unique identifier 111 fromthe blockchain ledger. In response, the blockchain peer 130 may providethe previously stored nonce along with the unique identifier 111 of theasset to the verification device 140. The verification device 140 maycompare the nonce 112 and the unique identifier 111 received from thephysical asset 110 with the nonce 112 and the unique identifier 111received from the blockchain peer 130, and determine whether they are amatch. If a match exists, the physical asset 110 is a valid/authenticasset and the seller has rights to make such sale.

Referring to FIG. 1C, the verification device 140 (buyer in FIG. 1B) mayupdate a value of the nonce 112 and store the updated value on theblockchain peer 130 enabling the seller to re-sell the physical asset110 to another buyer. In this example, the verification device 140 maychange or otherwise modify the nonce 112 to create an updated nonce112B. For example, the verification device 140 may incrementallyincrease a value of the nonce by one or some other predetermined numberto create the updated nonce value 112B. Furthermore, the verificationdevice 140 may transmit the updated nonce value 112B to the physicalasset 110. In response, the HSM 113 may sign the updated nonce value112B and send the signed version of the updated nonce 112B along withthe unique identifier 111 back to the verification device 140.

The verification device 140 may sign the signed nonce value 112B, andsubmit the signed nonce value 112B along with the unique identifier 111to the blockchain peer 130. In response, the blockchain peer 130 mayverify the signatures of the physical asset 110 and the signature of theverification device 140, and add the updated nonce value 112B to theblockchain, when validation occurs.

FIG. 2A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration 200,according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2A, the blockchainarchitecture 200 may include certain blockchain elements, for example, agroup of blockchain nodes 202. The blockchain nodes 202 may include oneor more nodes 204-210 (these four nodes are depicted by example only).These nodes participate in a number of activities, such as blockchaintransaction addition and validation process (consensus). One or more ofthe blockchain nodes 204-210 may endorse transactions based onendorsement policy and may provide an ordering service for allblockchain nodes in the architecture 200. A blockchain node may initiatea blockchain authentication and seek to write to a blockchain immutableledger stored in blockchain layer 216, a copy of which may also bestored on the underpinning physical infrastructure 214. The blockchainconfiguration may include one or more applications 224 which are linkedto application programming interfaces (APIs) 222 to access and executestored program/application code 220 (e.g., chaincode, smart contracts,etc.) which can be created according to a customized configurationsought by participants and can maintain their own state, control theirown assets, and receive external information. This can be deployed as atransaction and installed, via appending to the distributed ledger, onall blockchain nodes 204-210.

The blockchain base or platform 212 may include various layers ofblockchain data, services (e.g., cryptographic trust services, virtualexecution environment, etc.), and underpinning physical computerinfrastructure that may be used to receive and store new transactionsand provide access to auditors which are seeking to access data entries.The blockchain layer 216 may expose an interface that provides access tothe virtual execution environment necessary to process the program codeand engage the physical infrastructure 214. Cryptographic trust services218 may be used to verify transactions such as asset exchangetransactions and keep information private.

The blockchain architecture configuration of FIG. 2A may process andexecute program/application code 220 via one or more interfaces exposed,and services provided, by blockchain platform 212. The code 220 maycontrol blockchain assets. For example, the code 220 can store andtransfer data, and may be executed by nodes 204-210 in the form of asmart contract and associated chaincode with conditions or other codeelements subject to its execution. As a non-limiting example, smartcontracts may be created to execute reminders, updates, and/or othernotifications subject to the changes, updates, etc. The smart contractscan themselves be used to identify rules associated with authorizationand access requirements and usage of the ledger. For example, a read set226 may be processed by one or more processing entities (e.g., virtualmachines) included in the blockchain layer 216. A write set 228 mayinclude a result of processing the read set 226 via one or more smartcontracts. The physical infrastructure 214 may be utilized to retrieveany of the data or information described herein.

A smart contract may be created via a high-level application andprogramming language, and then written to a block in the blockchain. Thesmart contract may include executable code which is registered, stored,and/or replicated with a blockchain (e.g., distributed network ofblockchain peers). A transaction is an execution of the smart contractcode which can be performed in response to conditions associated withthe smart contract being satisfied. The executing of the smart contractmay trigger a trusted modification(s) to a state of a digital blockchainledger. The modification(s) to the blockchain ledger caused by the smartcontract execution may be automatically replicated throughout thedistributed network of blockchain peers through one or more consensusprotocols.

The smart contract may write data to the blockchain in the format ofkey-value pairs. Furthermore, the smart contract code can read thevalues stored in a blockchain and use them in application operations.The smart contract code can write the output of various logic operationsinto the blockchain. The code may be used to create a temporary datastructure in a virtual machine or other computing platform. Data writtento the blockchain can be public and/or can be encrypted and maintainedas private. The temporary data that is used/generated by the smartcontract is held in memory by the supplied execution environment, thendeleted once the data needed for the blockchain is identified.

A chaincode may include the code interpretation of a smart contract,with additional features. As described herein, the chaincode may beprogram code deployed on a computing network, where it is executed andvalidated by chain validators together during a consensus process. Thechaincode receives a hash and retrieves from the blockchain a hashassociated with the data template created by use of a previously storedfeature extractor. If the hashes of the hash identifier and the hashcreated from the stored identifier template data match, then thechaincode sends an authorization key to the requested service. Thechaincode may write to the blockchain data associated with thecryptographic details.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example of a blockchain transactional flow 250between nodes of the blockchain in accordance with an exampleembodiment. Referring to FIG. 2B, the transaction flow may include atransaction proposal 291 sent by an application client node 260 to anendorsing peer node 281. The endorsing peer 281 may verify the clientsignature and execute a chaincode function to initiate the transaction.The output may include the chaincode results, a set of key/valueversions that were read in the chaincode (read set), and the set ofkeys/values that were written in chaincode (write set). The proposalresponse 292 is sent back to the client 260 along with an endorsementsignature, if approved. The client 260 assembles the endorsements into atransaction payload 293 and broadcasts it to an ordering service node284. The ordering service node 284 then delivers ordered transactions asblocks to all peers 281-283 on a channel. Before committal to theblockchain, each peer 281-283 may validate the transaction. For example,the peers may check the endorsement policy to ensure that the correctallotment of the specified peers have signed the results andauthenticated the signatures against the transaction payload 293.

Referring again to FIG. 2B, the client node 260 initiates thetransaction 291 by constructing and sending a request to the peer node281, which is an endorser. The client 260 may include an applicationleveraging a supported software development kit (SDK), which utilizes anavailable API to generate a transaction proposal. The proposal is arequest to invoke a chaincode function so that data can be read and/orwritten to the ledger (i.e., write new key value pairs for the assets).The SDK may serve as a shim to package the transaction proposal into aproperly architected format (e.g., protocol buffer over a remoteprocedure call (RPC)) and take the client's cryptographic credentials toproduce a unique signature for the transaction proposal.

In response, the endorsing peer node 281 may verify (a) that thetransaction proposal is well formed, (b) the transaction has not beensubmitted already in the past (replay-attack protection), (c) thesignature is valid, and (d) that the submitter (client 260, in theexample) is properly authorized to perform the proposed operation onthat channel. The endorsing peer node 281 may take the transactionproposal inputs as arguments to the invoked chaincode function. Thechaincode is then executed against a current state database to producetransaction results including a response value, read set, and write set.However, no updates are made to the ledger at this point. In 292, theset of values, along with the endorsing peer node's 281 signature ispassed back as a proposal response 292 to the SDK of the client 260which parses the payload for the application to consume.

In response, the application of the client 260 inspects/verifies theendorsing peers signatures and compares the proposal responses todetermine if the proposal response is the same. If the chaincode onlyqueried the ledger, the application would inspect the query response andwould typically not submit the transaction to the ordering node service284. If the client application intends to submit the transaction to theordering node service 284 to update the ledger, the applicationdetermines if the specified endorsement policy has been fulfilled beforesubmitting (i.e., did all peer nodes necessary for the transactionendorse the transaction). Here, the client may include only one ofmultiple parties to the transaction. In this case, each client may havetheir own endorsing node, and each endorsing node will need to endorsethe transaction. The architecture is such that even if an applicationselects not to inspect responses or otherwise forwards an unendorsedtransaction, the endorsement policy will still be enforced by peers andupheld at the commit validation phase.

After successful inspection, in step 293 the client 260 assemblesendorsements into a transaction and broadcasts the transaction proposaland response within a transaction message to the ordering node 284. Thetransaction may contain the read/write sets, the endorsing peerssignatures and a channel ID. The ordering node 284 does not need toinspect the entire content of a transaction in order to perform itsoperation, instead the ordering node 284 may simply receive transactionsfrom all channels in the network, order them chronologically by channel,and create blocks of transactions per channel.

The blocks of the transaction are delivered from the ordering node 284to all peer nodes 281-283 on the channel. The transactions 294 withinthe block are validated to ensure any endorsement policy is fulfilledand to ensure that there have been no changes to ledger state for readset variables since the read set was generated by the transactionexecution. Transactions in the block are tagged as being valid orinvalid. Furthermore, in step 295 each peer node 281-283 appends theblock to the channel's chain, and for each valid transaction the writesets are committed to current state database. An event is emitted, tonotify the client application that the transaction (invocation) has beenimmutably appended to the chain, as well as to notify whether thetransaction was validated or invalidated.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a permissioned blockchain network 300,which features a distributed, decentralized peer-to-peer architecture.In this example, a blockchain user 302 may initiate a transaction to thepermissioned blockchain 304. In this example, the transaction can be adeploy, invoke, or query, and may be issued through a client-sideapplication leveraging an SDK, directly through an API, etc. Networksmay provide access to a regulator 306, such as an auditor. A blockchainnetwork operator 308 manages member permissions, such as enrolling theregulator 306 as an “auditor” and the blockchain user 302 as a “client”.An auditor could be restricted only to querying the ledger whereas aclient could be authorized to deploy, invoke, and query certain types ofchaincode.

A blockchain developer 310 can write chaincode and client-sideapplications. The blockchain developer 310 can deploy chaincode directlyto the network through an interface. To include credentials from atraditional data source 312 in chaincode, the developer 310 could use anout-of-band connection to access the data. In this example, theblockchain user 302 connects to the permissioned blockchain 304 througha peer node 314. Before proceeding with any transactions, the peer node314 retrieves the user's enrollment and transaction certificates from acertificate authority 316, which manages user roles and permissions. Insome cases, blockchain users must possess these digital certificates inorder to transact on the permissioned blockchain 304. Meanwhile, a userattempting to utilize chaincode may be required to verify theircredentials on the traditional data source 312. To confirm the user'sauthorization, chaincode can use an out-of-band connection to this datathrough a traditional processing platform 318.

FIG. 3B illustrates another example of a permissioned blockchain network320, which features a distributed, decentralized peer-to-peerarchitecture. In this example, a blockchain user 322 may submit atransaction to the permissioned blockchain 324. In this example, thetransaction can be a deploy, invoke, or query, and may be issued througha client-side application leveraging an SDK, directly through an API,etc. Networks may provide access to a regulator 326, such as an auditor.A blockchain network operator 328 manages member permissions, such asenrolling the regulator 326 as an “auditor” and the blockchain user 322as a “client”. An auditor could be restricted only to querying theledger whereas a client could be authorized to deploy, invoke, and querycertain types of chaincode.

A blockchain developer 330 writes chaincode and client-sideapplications. The blockchain developer 330 can deploy chaincode directlyto the network through an interface. To include credentials from atraditional data source 332 in chaincode, the developer 330 could use anout-of-band connection to access the data. In this example, theblockchain user 322 connects to the network through a peer node 334.Before proceeding with any transactions, the peer node 334 retrieves theuser's enrollment and transaction certificates from the certificateauthority 336. In some cases, blockchain users must possess thesedigital certificates in order to transact on the permissioned blockchain324. Meanwhile, a user attempting to utilize chaincode may be requiredto verify their credentials on the traditional data source 332. Toconfirm the user's authorization, chaincode can use an out-of-bandconnection to this data through a traditional processing platform 338.

In some embodiments, the blockchain herein may be a permissionlessblockchain. In contrast with permissioned blockchains which requirepermission to join, anyone can join a permissionless blockchain. Forexample, to join a permissionless blockchain a user may create apersonal address and begin interacting with the network, by submittingtransactions, and hence adding entries to the ledger. Additionally, allparties have the choice of running a node on the system and employingthe mining protocols to help verify transactions.

FIG. 3C illustrates a process 350 of a transaction being processed by apermissionless blockchain 352 including a plurality of nodes 354. Asender 356 desires to send payment or some other form of value (e.g., adeed, medical records, a contract, a good, a service, or any other assetthat can be encapsulated in a digital record) to a recipient 358 via thepermissionless blockchain 352. In one embodiment, each of the senderdevice 356 and the recipient device 358 may have digital wallets(associated with the blockchain 352) that provide user interfacecontrols and a display of transaction parameters. In response, thetransaction is broadcast throughout the blockchain 352 to the nodes 354.Depending on the blockchain's 352 network parameters the nodes verify360 the transaction based on rules (which may be pre-defined ordynamically allocated) established by the permissionless blockchain 352creators. For example, this may include verifying identities of theparties involved, etc. The transaction may be verified immediately or itmay be placed in a queue with other transactions and the nodes 354determine if the transactions are valid based on a set of network rules.

In structure 362, valid transactions are formed into a block and sealedwith a lock (hash). This process may be performed by mining nodes amongthe nodes 354. Mining nodes may utilize additional software specificallyfor mining and creating blocks for the permissionless blockchain 352.Each block may be identified by a hash (e.g., 256 bit number, etc.)created using an algorithm agreed upon by the network. Each block mayinclude a header, a pointer or reference to a hash of a previous block'sheader in the chain, and a group of valid transactions. The reference tothe previous block's hash is associated with the creation of the secureindependent chain of blocks.

Before blocks can be added to the blockchain, the blocks must bevalidated. Validation for the permissionless blockchain 352 may includea proof-of-work (PoW) which is a solution to a puzzle derived from theblock's header. Although not shown in the example of FIG. 3C, anotherprocess for validating a block is proof-of-stake. Unlike theproof-of-work, where the algorithm rewards miners who solve mathematicalproblems, with the proof of stake, a creator of a new block is chosen ina deterministic way, depending on its wealth, also defined as “stake.”Then, a similar proof is performed by the selected/chosen node.

With mining 364, nodes try to solve the block by making incrementalchanges to one variable until the solution satisfies a network-widetarget. This creates the PoW thereby ensuring correct answers. In otherwords, a potential solution must prove that computing resources weredrained in solving the problem. In some types of permissionlessblockchains, miners may be rewarded with value (e.g., coins, etc.) forcorrectly mining a block.

Here, the PoW process, alongside the chaining of blocks, makesmodifications of the blockchain extremely difficult, as an attacker mustmodify all subsequent blocks in order for the modifications of one blockto be accepted. Furthermore, as new blocks are mined, the difficulty ofmodifying a block increases, and the number of subsequent blocksincreases. With distribution 366, the successfully validated block isdistributed through the permissionless blockchain 352 and all nodes 354add the block to a majority chain which is the permissionlessblockchain's 352 auditable ledger. Furthermore, the value in thetransaction submitted by the sender 356 is deposited or otherwisetransferred to the digital wallet of the recipient device 358.

FIG. 4A illustrates a process 400A of registering a physical object fortracking via a blockchain according to example embodiments. Referring toFIG. 4A, a manufacturing device 404 registers a physical object 402 forthe first time on a blockchain 406. In 411, the manufacturing device 404may establish an initial setup with the blockchain 406 by exchangingkeys thus providing the blockchain with its public key and receive theblockchain's public key. In 412, the manufacturing device 404 maytrigger generation of a unique ID (UID) of the object 402 by HSM of theobject 402. In response, the HSM may generate a key pair (public key andprivate key), and extract a unique ID of the object 402 from memory,etc.

In 413, the manufacturing device 404 may create and send a challengenonce to the HSM of the object 402. In response, in 414 the HSM signsthe challenge nonce and returns the unique ID with the nonce [UID,public key of HSM, n, n-signature_(HSM key)] where n corresponds to theobject 402. In 415, the manufacturing device 404 may create a blockchaintransaction request at blockchain 406 which is signed by using a privatekey of the manufacturing device 404 [[UID, pub key of HSM,n-signature_(HSM key)] signature_(MFG key)]. In response, the blockchain406 (smart contract installed and executing on a peer node) may validatethe signature of the manufacturing device 404 on the blockchain request,and validate the signature of the object 402 on the nonce. In responseto both signatures being valid, in 416, the blockchain 406 may add theblockchain transaction submitted in 415 to the blockchain ledger.

FIG. 4B illustrates a process 400B of verifying the tracked physicalobject during a purchase according to example embodiments. In thisexample, a customer corresponding to a client device 408 verifies theidentity of the object 402 from the blockchain 406. In 421, an entitythat controls client device 408 is interested in purchasing the object402. In this example, the manufacturing device (not shown) may providethe nonce [UID, public key of HSM, n, n-signature_(HSM key)] of theobject 402 to the client device 408. In 422, the client device 408 mayregister with the blockchain 406 (e.g., exchange keys). In 423, theclient device 408 reads object data from the object 402. For example,the client device 408 may read a unique identifier and a public key fromthe HSM of the object 402.

In 424, the client device 408 may request data of the object 402 storedin the blockchain 406 based on the UID [[UID, pub key of HSM,n-signature_(HSM key)]signature_(MFG key)] and pub key MFG from theblockchain 406 with a signature. In response, in 425 the blockchain 406may respond with object data stored on the blockchain ledger which mayinclude [[UID, pub key of HSM,n-signature_(HSM key)]signature_(MFG key), pub key_(MFG)]signature_(BCServer)] and which is signed by the blockchain peer node.In 426, the client device 408 may validate the signatures of themanufacturer, the blockchain, and the HSM, and determine if the datafrom the blockchain 406 and the data read from the object 402 (uniqueidentifier and secret) match. If they do match, the client device 408knows the object 402 is authentic and capable of being sold by themanufacturer (or other seller).

FIG. 4C illustrates a process 400C of modifying a security value of thetracked physical object according to example embodiments. In thisexample, the client device 408 may update the nonce value of thephysical asset (object 402) to prevent a prior owner from attempt toreclaim ownership over the object 402 using an old nonce value. In 431,the client device 408 may modify the nonce value. For example, theclient device 408 may increment a nonce value (e.g., by one, etc.) orotherwise modify the value by a random number, a predetermined number,etc. so as to prevent guessing of the changed secret. In 432, the clientdevice 408 requests the HSM of the object 402 as challenge to sign itand, in 433, the HSM returns the signed value [n+1, signature_(HSM)]. In434, the client device 408 may verify the signature of the object 402(HSM) added to the signed secret. In response to successfullyauthenticating the signature, in 435, the client device 408 may transmita blockchain transaction request to the blockchain 406 which includes[[UID, pubkey_(HSM) n+1,n+1-signature_(HSM key)]signature_(Client key)]. In 436, the blockchain406 may validate the request signature of the transaction, and validatethe signature of the HSM on the secret. In response to validating thesignatures, the blockchain 406 may add the updated secret to theblockchain. In some embodiments, the blockchain 406 may also triggercontract fulfillment (e.g., payment, etc.)

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a method 500 of verifying an objectbased on a signed security value according to example embodiments. Forexample, the method 500 may be performed by a database node of a securedatabase, a blockchain peer node which is part of an asset trackingblockchain ledger, and the like. Referring to FIG. 5A, in 502 the methodmay include receiving a signed storage request which comprises a uniqueidentifier of an object, a public key of the object, and a signedsecurity value associated with the object. For example, the storagerequest may include a blockchain transaction which is transmitted from aclient stored on a manufacturing device, or the like. In this example,the blockchain transaction may include an initial storage request of theobject from a manufacturer of the object.

In 504, the method may include determining, via code installed on anode, whether the signed storage request is valid based on a signatureof the signed storage request and a signature of the signed securityvalue of the object. For example, a database node or a blockchain peernode may have code installed therein which can validate the signature.Furthermore, in response to validation of the signed storage request, in506 the method may include generating a storage object based on thesigned storage request which includes the unique identifier, the publickey of the object, and the signed security value and storing thegenerated storage object in a data store of the database node. In someembodiments, the generating may include inserting a database entryincluding the storage object as a blockchain transaction into a datablock and storing the data block on a hash-linked chain of data blockson a distributed blockchain ledger. In some embodiments, the determiningmay include determining whether the object is valid (e.g., can beverified from the blockchain's ledger) based on a signature used to signthe storage request. In some embodiments, the determining may includeretrieving a previously stored version of the unique identifier and thesecurity value from the distributed ledger and determining whether a keyused to sign the security value remains the same based on a key used tosign the previously stored version of the security value.

In some embodiments, the method may further include receiving a transferrequest of the object which comprises an updated signed security valueassociated with the object. In some embodiments, the method may furtherinclude determining whether to endorse the transfer request based on theupdated signed security value with respect to the previously receivedsigned security value associated with the object. In some embodiments,the method may further include adding the updated signed security valueto the distributed ledger in response to endorsement of the transferrequest by a consensus of blockchain peer nodes. In some embodiments,the method may further include transmitting an error message to acomputing system associated with the object in response to failure tovalidate the object. In some embodiments, the method may further includereceiving a signed request for access to object data, and transmittingthe unique identifier and the signed security value stored on thedistributed ledger to a requester based on a signature used to sign thesigned request.

FIG. 5B illustrates a method 510 of updating a signed security valueaccording to example embodiments. For example, the method 510 may beperformed by a client device that captures or otherwise readsinformation from a product (physical object). Here, the client devicemay include a computing system, a mobile device, a tablet, a personalcomputer, a laptop computer, a smart wearable device, a RFID reader, orthe like. The client device may scan a tag, code, etc., from thephysical asset and transmit information about the scanned data to ablockchain network, such as one or more blockchain peer nodes.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in 512 the method may include receiving a uniqueidentifier and a security value from an object. For example, the uniqueidentifier may be a serial number, a product code, or the like, which isunique to the object from among a plurality of objects. The securityvalue may be a nonce value, or the like, which can act as a counter,etc. In some embodiments, the receiving may include reading, via a radiofrequency, the unique identifier and the security value from a storageon the object. Here, the object may have attached thereto or embeddedtherein a hardware security module (HSM) or the like which is capable ofcreating nonce values and key pairs (public and private).

In 514, the method may include retrieving a previously stored securityvalue of the object from a secure storage such as a database, ablockchain, and the like, based on the received unique identifier. Forexample, the client device may send a request to the blockchain for aprevious nonce value recorded on the blockchain which is paired with theunique identifier. The client device may compare the previously storedversion with the newly received version of the security value. In 516,the method may include determining that the object is verified based onthe received security value and the previously stored security value.For example, the determining may include determining the object isverified in response to determining that the previously stored securityvalue remains unchanged with respect to the received security value.

Furthermore, in 518, the method may include modifying the previouslystored security value to generate a modified security value andtransmitting the modified security value to the secure storage. Forexample, the modification may be performed to update the security valueso that a previous owner cannot perform a replay attack and reclaim theobject as their own using a previously used security value. In thisexample, the modifying may include incrementally changing a value of thepreviously stored security value to generate the modified securityvalue. Here, the client device may add one (or some other predefinednumber) to a nonce value.

In some embodiments, the method may further include transmitting themodified security value to the object and receiving the modifiedsecurity value from the object with a signature of the object addedthereto. In some embodiments, the transmitting may include transmittingthe modified security value with the signature of the object addedthereto, in response to verification of the signature of the object. Insome embodiments, the transmitting may include transmitting a transferrequest of the object with the modified security value included therein.In some embodiments, the method may further include signing the modifiedsecurity value with a client key prior to transmitting the modifiedsecurity value to the blockchain.

FIG. 6A illustrates an example system 600 that includes a physicalinfrastructure 610 configured to perform various operations according toexample embodiments. Referring to FIG. 6A, the physical infrastructure610 includes a module 612 and a module 614. The module 614 includes ablockchain 620 and a smart contract 630 (which may reside on theblockchain 620), that may execute any of the operational steps 608 (inmodule 612) included in any of the example embodiments. Thesteps/operations 608 may include one or more of the embodimentsdescribed or depicted and may represent output or written informationthat is written or read from one or more smart contracts 630 and/orblockchains 620. The physical infrastructure 610, the module 612, andthe module 614 may include one or more computers, servers, processors,memories, and/or wireless communication devices. Further, the module 612and the module 614 may be a same module.

FIG. 6B illustrates another example system 640 configured to performvarious operations according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG.6B, the system 640 includes a module 612 and a module 614. The module614 includes a blockchain 620 and a smart contract 630 (which may resideon the blockchain 620), that may execute any of the operational steps608 (in module 612) included in any of the example embodiments. Thesteps/operations 608 may include one or more of the embodimentsdescribed or depicted and may represent output or written informationthat is written or read from one or more smart contracts 630 and/orblockchains 620. The physical infrastructure 610, the module 612, andthe module 614 may include one or more computers, servers, processors,memories, and/or wireless communication devices. Further, the module 612and the module 614 may be a same module.

FIG. 6C illustrates an example system configured to utilize a smartcontract configuration among contracting parties and a mediating serverconfigured to enforce the smart contract terms on the blockchainaccording to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 6C, theconfiguration 650 may represent a communication session, an assettransfer session or a process or procedure that is driven by a smartcontract 630 which explicitly identifies one or more user devices 652and/or 656. The execution, operations and results of the smart contractexecution may be managed by a server 654. Content of the smart contract630 may require digital signatures by one or more of the entities 652and 656 which are parties to the smart contract transaction. The resultsof the smart contract execution may be written to a blockchain 620 as ablockchain transaction. The smart contract 630 resides on the blockchain620 which may reside on one or more computers, servers, processors,memories, and/or wireless communication devices.

FIG. 6D illustrates a system 660 including a blockchain, according toexample embodiments. Referring to the example of FIG. 6D, an applicationprogramming interface (API) gateway 662 provides a common interface foraccessing blockchain logic (e.g., smart contract 630 or other chaincode)and data (e.g., distributed ledger, etc.). In this example, the APIgateway 662 is a common interface for performing transactions (invoke,queries, etc.) on the blockchain by connecting one or more entities 652and 656 to a blockchain peer (i.e., server 654). Here, the server 654 isa blockchain network peer component that holds a copy of the world stateand a distributed ledger allowing clients 652 and 656 to query data onthe world state as well as submit transactions into the blockchainnetwork where, depending on the smart contract 630 and endorsementpolicy, endorsing peers will run the smart contracts 630.

The above embodiments may be implemented in hardware, in a computerprogram executed by a processor, in firmware, or in a combination of theabove. A computer program may be embodied on a computer readable medium,such as a storage medium. For example, a computer program may reside inrandom access memory (“RAM”), flash memory, read-only memory (“ROM”),erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), registers, hard disk, aremovable disk, a compact disk read-only memory (“CD-ROM”), or any otherform of storage medium known in the art.

An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such thatthe processor may read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anapplication specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”). In the alternative,the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components.

FIG. 7A illustrates a process 700 of a new block being added to adistributed ledger 720, according to example embodiments, and FIG. 7Billustrates contents of a new data block structure 730 for blockchain,according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 7A, clients (notshown) may submit transactions to blockchain nodes 711, 712, and/or 713.Clients may be instructions received from any source to enact activityon the blockchain 720. As an example, clients may be applications thatact on behalf of a requester, such as a device, person or entity topropose transactions for the blockchain. The plurality of blockchainpeers (e.g., blockchain nodes 711, 712, and 713) may maintain a state ofthe blockchain network and a copy of the distributed ledger 720.Different types of blockchain nodes/peers may be present in theblockchain network including endorsing peers which simulate and endorsetransactions proposed by clients and committing peers which verifyendorsements, validate transactions, and commit transactions to thedistributed ledger 720. In this example, the blockchain nodes 711, 712,and 713 may perform the role of endorser node, committer node, or both.

The distributed ledger 720 includes a blockchain which stores immutable,sequenced records in blocks, and a state database 724 (current worldstate) maintaining a current state of the blockchain 722. Onedistributed ledger 720 may exist per channel and each peer maintains itsown copy of the distributed ledger 720 for each channel of which theyare a member. The blockchain 722 is a transaction log, structured ashash-linked blocks where each block contains a sequence of Ntransactions. Blocks may include various components such as shown inFIG. 7B. The linking of the blocks (shown by arrows in FIG. 7A) may begenerated by adding a hash of a prior block's header within a blockheader of a current block. In this way, all transactions on theblockchain 722 are sequenced and cryptographically linked togetherpreventing tampering with blockchain data without breaking the hashlinks. Furthermore, because of the links, the latest block in theblockchain 722 represents every transaction that has come before it. Theblockchain 722 may be stored on a peer file system (local or attachedstorage), which supports an append-only blockchain workload.

The current state of the blockchain 722 and the distributed ledger 722may be stored in the state database 724. Here, the current state datarepresents the latest values for all keys ever included in the chaintransaction log of the blockchain 722. Chaincode invocations executetransactions against the current state in the state database 724. Tomake these chaincode interactions extremely efficient, the latest valuesof all keys are stored in the state database 724. The state database 724may include an indexed view into the transaction log of the blockchain722, it can therefore be regenerated from the chain at any time. Thestate database 724 may automatically get recovered (or generated ifneeded) upon peer startup, before transactions are accepted.

Endorsing nodes receive transactions from clients and endorse thetransaction based on simulated results. Endorsing nodes hold smartcontracts which simulate the transaction proposals. When an endorsingnode endorses a transaction, the endorsing nodes creates a transactionendorsement which is a signed response from the endorsing node to theclient application indicating the endorsement of the simulatedtransaction. The method of endorsing a transaction depends on anendorsement policy which may be specified within chaincode. An exampleof an endorsement policy is “the majority of endorsing peers mustendorse the transaction”. Different channels may have differentendorsement policies. Endorsed transactions are forward by the clientapplication to ordering service 710.

The ordering service 710 accepts endorsed transactions, orders them intoa block, and delivers the blocks to the committing peers. For example,the ordering service 710 may initiate a new block when a threshold oftransactions has been reached, a timer times out, or another condition.In the example of FIG. 7A, blockchain node 712 is a committing peer thathas received a new data new data block 730 for storage on blockchain720. The first block in the blockchain may be referred to as a genesisblock which includes information about the blockchain, its members, thedata stored therein, etc.

The ordering service 710 may be made up of a cluster of orderers. Theordering service 710 does not process transactions, smart contracts, ormaintain the shared ledger. Rather, the ordering service 710 may acceptthe endorsed transactions and specifies the order in which thosetransactions are committed to the distributed ledger 720. Thearchitecture of the blockchain network may be designed such that thespecific implementation of ‘ordering’ (e.g., Solo, Kafka, BFT, etc.)becomes a pluggable component.

Transactions are written to the distributed ledger 720 in a consistentorder. The order of transactions is established to ensure that theupdates to the state database 724 are valid when they are committed tothe network. Unlike a cryptocurrency blockchain system (e.g., Bitcoin,etc.) where ordering occurs through the solving of a cryptographicpuzzle, or mining, in this example the parties of the distributed ledger720 may choose the ordering mechanism that best suits that network.

When the ordering service 710 initializes a new data block 730, the newdata block 730 may be broadcast to committing peers (e.g., blockchainnodes 711, 712, and 713). In response, each committing peer validatesthe transaction within the new data block 730 by checking to make surethat the read set and the write set still match the current world statein the state database 724. Specifically, the committing peer candetermine whether the read data that existed when the endorserssimulated the transaction is identical to the current world state in thestate database 724. When the committing peer validates the transaction,the transaction is written to the blockchain 722 on the distributedledger 720, and the state database 724 is updated with the write datafrom the read-write set. If a transaction fails, that is, if thecommitting peer finds that the read-write set does not match the currentworld state in the state database 724, the transaction ordered into ablock will still be included in that block, but it will be marked asinvalid, and the state database 724 will not be updated.

Referring to FIG. 7B, a new data block 730 (also referred to as a datablock) that is stored on the blockchain 722 of the distributed ledger720 may include multiple data segments such as a block header 740, blockdata 750, and block metadata 760. It should be appreciated that thevarious depicted blocks and their contents, such as new data block 730and its contents. shown in FIG. 7B are merely examples and are not meantto limit the scope of the example embodiments. The new data block 730may store transactional information of N transaction(s) (e.g., 1, 10,100, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, etc.) within the block data 750. The newdata block 730 may also include a link to a previous block (e.g., on theblockchain 722 in FIG. 7A) within the block header 740. In particular,the block header 740 may include a hash of a previous block's header.The block header 740 may also include a unique block number, a hash ofthe block data 750 of the new data block 730, and the like. The blocknumber of the new data block 730 may be unique and assigned in variousorders, such as an incremental/sequential order starting from zero.

The block data 750 may store transactional information of eachtransaction that is recorded within the new data block 730. For example,the transaction data may include one or more of a type of thetransaction, a version, a timestamp, a channel ID of the distributedledger 720, a transaction ID, an epoch, a payload visibility, achaincode path (deploy tx), a chaincode name, a chaincode version, input(chaincode and functions), a client (creator) identify such as a publickey and certificate, a signature of the client, identities of endorsers,endorser signatures, a proposal hash, chaincode events, response status,namespace, a read set (list of key and version read by the transaction,etc.), a write set (list of key and value, etc.), a start key, an endkey, a list of keys, a Merkel tree query summary, and the like. Thetransaction data may be stored for each of the N transactions.

In some embodiments, the block data 750 may also store new dataincluding a unique identifier 752 and a nonce value 754 of a physicalasset which adds additional information to the hash-linked chain ofblocks in the blockchain 722. The additional information includes one ormore of the steps, features, processes and/or actions described ordepicted herein. Accordingly, the unique identifier 752 and the noncevalue 754 can be stored in an immutable log of blocks on the distributedledger 720. Some of the benefits of storing such new data are reflectedin the various embodiments disclosed and depicted herein. Here, theunique identifier 752 and the nonce value 754 are stored in the blockdata 750, but they may also be stored in the block header 740 and/or theblock metadata 760.

Although in FIG. 7B the unique identifier 752 and the nonce value 754are being depicted as stored in a data bloc, it should also beappreciated that the unique identifier 752 and the nonce value 754 maybe stored within a data store on the distributed ledger 720 such as akey value store (not shown), the state database 724, and/or the like.

The block metadata 760 may store multiple fields of metadata (e.g., as abyte array, etc.). Metadata fields may include signature on blockcreation, a reference to a last configuration block, a transactionfilter identifying valid and invalid transactions within the block, lastoffset persisted of an ordering service that ordered the block, and thelike. The signature, the last configuration block, and the orderermetadata may be added by the ordering service 710. Meanwhile, acommitter of the block (such as blockchain node 712) may addvalidity/invalidity information based on an endorsement policy,verification of read/write sets, and the like. The transaction filtermay include a byte array of a size equal to the number of transactionsin the block data 750 and a validation code identifying whether atransaction was valid/invalid.

FIG. 7C illustrates an embodiment of a blockchain 770 for digitalcontent in accordance with the embodiments described herein. The digitalcontent may include one or more files and associated information. Thefiles may include media, images, video, audio, text, links, graphics,animations, web pages, documents, or other forms of digital content. Theimmutable, append-only aspects of the blockchain serve as a safeguard toprotect the integrity, validity, and authenticity of the digitalcontent, making it suitable use in legal proceedings where admissibilityrules apply or other settings where evidence is taken in toconsideration or where the presentation and use of digital informationis otherwise of interest. In this case, the digital content may bereferred to as digital evidence.

The blockchain may be formed in various ways. In one embodiment, thedigital content may be included in and accessed from the blockchainitself. For example, each block of the blockchain may store a hash valueof reference information (e.g., header, value, etc.) along theassociated digital content. The hash value and associated digitalcontent may then be encrypted together. Thus, the digital content ofeach block may be accessed by decrypting each block in the blockchain,and the hash value of each block may be used as a basis to reference aprevious block. This may be illustrated as follows:

Block 1 Block 2 . . . Block N Hash Value 1 Hash Value 2 Hash Value NDigital Content 1 Digital Content 2 Digital Content N

In one embodiment, the digital content may be not included in theblockchain. For example, the blockchain may store the encrypted hashesof the content of each block without any of the digital content. Thedigital content may be stored in another storage area or memory addressin association with the hash value of the original file. The otherstorage area may be the same storage device used to store the blockchainor may be a different storage area or even a separate relationaldatabase. The digital content of each block may be referenced oraccessed by obtaining or querying the hash value of a block of interestand then looking up that has value in the storage area, which is storedin correspondence with the actual digital content. This operation may beperformed, for example, a database gatekeeper. This may be illustratedas follows:

Blockchain Storage Area Block 1 Hash Value Block 1 Hash Value . . .Content . . . . . . Block N Hash Value Block N Hash Value . . . Content

In the example embodiment of FIG. 7C, the blockchain 770 includes anumber of blocks 778 ₁, 778 ₂, . . . 778 _(N) cryptographically linkedin an ordered sequence, where N≥1. The encryption used to link theblocks 778 ₁, 778 ₂, . . . 778 _(N) may be any of a number of keyed orun-keyed Hash functions. In one embodiment, the blocks 778 ₁, 778 ₂, . .. 778 _(N) are subject to a hash function which produces n-bitalphanumeric outputs (where n is 256 or another number) from inputs thatare based on information in the blocks. Examples of such a hash functioninclude, but are not limited to, a SHA-type (SHA stands for Secured HashAlgorithm) algorithm, Merkle-Damgard algorithm, HAIFA algorithm,Merkle-tree algorithm, nonce-based algorithm, and anon-collision-resistant PRF algorithm. In another embodiment, the blocks778 ₁, 778 ₂, . . . , 778 _(N) may be cryptographically linked by afunction that is different from a hash function. For purposes ofillustration, the following description is made with reference to a hashfunction, e.g., SHA-2.

Each of the blocks 778 ₁, 778 ₂, . . . , 778 _(N) in the blockchainincludes a header, a version of the file, and a value. The header andthe value are different for each block as a result of hashing in theblockchain. In one embodiment, the value may be included in the header.As described in greater detail below, the version of the file may be theoriginal file or a different version of the original file.

The first block 778 ₁ in the blockchain is referred to as the genesisblock and includes the header 772 ₁, original file 774 ₁, and an initialvalue 776 ₁. The hashing scheme used for the genesis block, and indeedin all subsequent blocks, may vary. For example, all the information inthe first block 778 ₁ may be hashed together and at one time, or each ora portion of the information in the first block 778 ₁ may be separatelyhashed and then a hash of the separately hashed portions may beperformed.

The header 772 ₁ may include one or more initial parameters, which, forexample, may include a version number, timestamp, nonce, rootinformation, difficulty level, consensus protocol, duration, mediaformat, source, descriptive keywords, and/or other informationassociated with original file 774 ₁ and/or the blockchain. The header772 ₁ may be generated automatically (e.g., by blockchain networkmanaging software) or manually by a blockchain participant. Unlike theheader in other blocks 778 ₂ to 778 _(N) in the blockchain, the header772 ₁ in the genesis block does not reference a previous block, simplybecause there is no previous block.

The original file 774 ₁ in the genesis block may be, for example, dataas captured by a device with or without processing prior to itsinclusion in the blockchain. The original file 774 ₁ is received throughthe interface of the system from the device, media source, or node. Theoriginal file 774 ₁ is associated with metadata, which, for example, maybe generated by a user, the device, and/or the system processor, eithermanually or automatically. The metadata may be included in the firstblock 778 ₁ in association with the original file 774 ₁.

The value 776 ₁ in the genesis block is an initial value generated basedon one or more unique attributes of the original file 774 ₁. In oneembodiment, the one or more unique attributes may include the hash valuefor the original file 774 ₁, metadata for the original file 774 ₁, andother information associated with the file. In one implementation, theinitial value 776 ₁ may be based on the following unique attributes:

-   -   1) SHA-2 computed hash value for the original file    -   2) originating device ID    -   3) starting timestamp for the original file    -   4) initial storage location of the original file    -   5) blockchain network member ID for software to currently        control the original file and associated metadata

The other blocks 778 ₂ to 778 _(N) in the blockchain also have headers,files, and values. However, unlike the first block 772 ₁, each of theheaders 772 ₂ to 772 _(N) in the other blocks includes the hash value ofan immediately preceding block. The hash value of the immediatelypreceding block may be just the hash of the header of the previous blockor may be the hash value of the entire previous block. By including thehash value of a preceding block in each of the remaining blocks, a tracecan be performed from the Nth block back to the genesis block (and theassociated original file) on a block-by-block basis, as indicated byarrows 780, to establish an auditable and immutable chain-of-custody.

Each of the header 772 ₂ to 772 _(N) in the other blocks may alsoinclude other information, e.g., version number, timestamp, nonce, rootinformation, difficulty level, consensus protocol, and/or otherparameters or information associated with the corresponding files and/orthe blockchain in general.

The files 774 ₂ to 774 _(N) in the other blocks may be equal to theoriginal file or may be a modified version of the original file in thegenesis block depending, for example, on the type of processingperformed. The type of processing performed may vary from block toblock. The processing may involve, for example, any modification of afile in a preceding block, such as redacting information or otherwisechanging the content of, taking information away from, or adding orappending information to the files.

Additionally, or alternatively, the processing may involve merelycopying the file from a preceding block, changing a storage location ofthe file, analyzing the file from one or more preceding blocks, movingthe file from one storage or memory location to another, or performingaction relative to the file of the blockchain and/or its associatedmetadata. Processing which involves analyzing a file may include, forexample, appending, including, or otherwise associating variousanalytics, statistics, or other information associated with the file.

The values in each of the other blocks 776 ₂ to 776 _(N) in the otherblocks are unique values and are all different as a result of theprocessing performed. For example, the value in any one blockcorresponds to an updated version of the value in the previous block.The update is reflected in the hash of the block to which the value isassigned. The values of the blocks therefore provide an indication ofwhat processing was performed in the blocks and also permit a tracingthrough the blockchain back to the original file. This tracking confirmsthe chain-of-custody of the file throughout the entire blockchain.

For example, consider the case where portions of the file in a previousblock are redacted, blocked out, or pixelated in order to protect theidentity of a person shown in the file. In this case, the blockincluding the redacted file will include metadata associated with theredacted file, e.g., how the redaction was performed, who performed theredaction, timestamps where the redaction(s) occurred, etc. The metadatamay be hashed to form the value. Because the metadata for the block isdifferent from the information that was hashed to form the value in theprevious block, the values are different from one another and may berecovered when decrypted.

In one embodiment, the value of a previous block may be updated (e.g., anew hash value computed) to form the value of a current block when anyone or more of the following occurs. The new hash value may be computedby hashing all or a portion of the information noted below, in thisexample embodiment.

-   -   a) new SHA-2 computed hash value if the file has been processed        in any way (e.g., if the file was redacted, copied, altered,        accessed, or some other action was taken)    -   b) new storage location for the file    -   c) new metadata identified associated with the file    -   d) transfer of access or control of the file from one blockchain        participant to another blockchain participant

FIG. 7D illustrates an embodiment of a block which may represent thestructure of the blocks in the blockchain 790 in accordance with oneembodiment. The block, Block_(i), includes a header 772 _(i), a file 774_(i), and a value 776 _(i).

The header 772 _(i) includes a hash value of a previous blockBlock_(i-1) and additional reference information, which, for example,may be any of the types of information (e.g., header informationincluding references, characteristics, parameters, etc.) discussedherein. All blocks reference the hash of a previous block except, ofcourse, the genesis block. The hash value of the previous block may bejust a hash of the header in the previous block or a hash of all or aportion of the information in the previous block, including the file andmetadata.

The file 774 _(i) includes a plurality of data, such as Data 1, Data 2,. . . , Data N in sequence. The data are tagged with metadata Metadata1, Metadata 2, . . . , Metadata N which describe the content and/orcharacteristics associated with the data. For example, the metadata foreach data may include information to indicate a timestamp for the data,process the data, keywords indicating the persons or other contentdepicted in the data, and/or other features that may be helpful toestablish the validity and content of the file as a whole, andparticularly its use a digital evidence, for example, as described inconnection with an embodiment discussed below. In addition to themetadata, each data may be tagged with reference REF₁, REF₂, . . . ,REF_(N) to a previous data to prevent tampering, gaps in the file, andsequential reference through the file.

Once the metadata is assigned to the data (e.g., through a smartcontract), the metadata cannot be altered without the hash changing,which can easily be identified for invalidation. The metadata, thus,creates a data log of information that may be accessed for use byparticipants in the blockchain.

The value 776 _(i) is a hash value or other value computed based on anyof the types of information previously discussed. For example, for anygiven block Block_(i), the value for that block may be updated toreflect the processing that was performed for that block, e.g., new hashvalue, new storage location, new metadata for the associated file,transfer of control or access, identifier, or other action orinformation to be added. Although the value in each block is shown to beseparate from the metadata for the data of the file and header, thevalue may be based, in part or whole, on this metadata in anotherembodiment.

Once the blockchain 770 is formed, at any point in time, the immutablechain-of-custody for the file may be obtained by querying the blockchainfor the transaction history of the values across the blocks. This query,or tracking procedure, may begin with decrypting the value of the blockthat is most currently included (e.g., the last (N^(th)) block), andthen continuing to decrypt the value of the other blocks until thegenesis block is reached and the original file is recovered. Thedecryption may involve decrypting the headers and files and associatedmetadata at each block, as well.

Decryption is performed based on the type of encryption that took placein each block. This may involve the use of private keys, public keys, ora public key-private key pair. For example, when asymmetric encryptionis used, blockchain participants or a processor in the network maygenerate a public key and private key pair using a predeterminedalgorithm. The public key and private key are associated with each otherthrough some mathematical relationship. The public key may bedistributed publicly to serve as an address to receive messages fromother users, e.g., an IP address or home address. The private key iskept secret and used to digitally sign messages sent to other blockchainparticipants. The signature is included in the message so that therecipient can verify using the public key of the sender. This way, therecipient can be sure that only the sender could have sent this message.

Generating a key pair may be analogous to creating an account on theblockchain, but without having to actually register anywhere. Also,every transaction that is executed on the blockchain is digitally signedby the sender using their private key. This signature ensures that onlythe owner of the account can track and process (if within the scope ofpermission determined by a smart contract) the file of the blockchain.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate additional examples of use cases forblockchain which may be incorporated and used herein. In particular,FIG. 8A illustrates an example 800 of a blockchain 810 which storesmachine learning (artificial intelligence) data. Machine learning relieson vast quantities of historical data (or training data) to buildpredictive models for accurate prediction on new data. Machine learningsoftware (e.g., neural networks, etc.) can often sift through millionsof records to unearth non-intuitive patterns.

In the example of FIG. 8A, a host platform 820 builds and deploys amachine learning model for predictive monitoring of assets 830. Here,the host platform 820 may be a cloud platform, an industrial server, aweb server, a personal computer, a user device, and the like. Assets 830can be any type of asset (e.g., machine or equipment, etc.) such as anaircraft, locomotive, turbine, medical machinery and equipment, oil andgas equipment, boats, ships, vehicles, and the like. As another example,assets 830 may be non-tangible assets such as stocks, currency, digitalcoins, insurance, or the like.

The blockchain 810 can be used to significantly improve both a trainingprocess 802 of the machine learning model and a predictive process 804based on a trained machine learning model. For example, in 802, ratherthan requiring a data scientist/engineer or other user to collect thedata, historical data may be stored by the assets 830 themselves (orthrough an intermediary, not shown) on the blockchain 810. This cansignificantly reduce the collection time needed by the host platform 820when performing predictive model training. For example, using smartcontracts, data can be directly and reliably transferred straight fromits place of origin to the blockchain 810. By using the blockchain 810to ensure the security and ownership of the collected data, smartcontracts may directly send the data from the assets to the individualsthat use the data for building a machine learning model. This allows forsharing of data among the assets 830.

The collected data may be stored in the blockchain 810 based on aconsensus mechanism. The consensus mechanism pulls in (permissionednodes) to ensure that the data being recorded is verified and accurate.The data recorded is time-stamped, cryptographically signed, andimmutable. It is therefore auditable, transparent, and secure. AddingIoT devices which write directly to the blockchain can, in certain cases(i.e. supply chain, healthcare, logistics, etc.), increase both thefrequency and accuracy of the data being recorded.

Furthermore, training of the machine learning model on the collecteddata may take rounds of refinement and testing by the host platform 820.Each round may be based on additional data or data that was notpreviously considered to help expand the knowledge of the machinelearning model. In 802, the different training and testing steps (andthe data associated therewith) may be stored on the blockchain 810 bythe host platform 820. Each refinement of the machine learning model(e.g., changes in variables, weights, etc.) may be stored on theblockchain 810. This provides verifiable proof of how the model wastrained and what data was used to train the model. Furthermore, when thehost platform 820 has achieved a finally trained model, the resultingmodel may be stored on the blockchain 810.

After the model has been trained, it may be deployed to a liveenvironment where it can make predictions/decisions based on theexecution of the final trained machine learning model. For example, in804, the machine learning model may be used for condition-basedmaintenance (CBM) for an asset such as an aircraft, a wind turbine, ahealthcare machine, and the like. In this example, data fed back fromthe asset 830 may be input the machine learning model and used to makeevent predictions such as failure events, error codes, and the like.Determinations made by the execution of the machine learning model atthe host platform 820 may be stored on the blockchain 810 to provideauditable/verifiable proof. As one non-limiting example, the machinelearning model may predict a future breakdown/failure to a part of theasset 830 and create alert or a notification to replace the part. Thedata behind this decision may be stored by the host platform 820 on theblockchain 810. In one embodiment the features and/or the actionsdescribed and/or depicted herein can occur on or with respect to theblockchain 810.

New transactions for a blockchain can be gathered together into a newblock and added to an existing hash value. This is then encrypted tocreate a new hash for the new block. This is added to the next list oftransactions when they are encrypted, and so on. The result is a chainof blocks that each contain the hash values of all preceding blocks.Computers that store these blocks regularly compare their hash values toensure that they are all in agreement. Any computer that does not agree,discards the records that are causing the problem. This approach is goodfor ensuring tamper-resistance of the blockchain, but it is not perfect.

One way to game this system is for a dishonest user to change the listof transactions in their favor, but in a way that leaves the hashunchanged. This can be done by brute force, in other words by changing arecord, encrypting the result, and seeing whether the hash value is thesame. And if not, trying again and again and again until it finds a hashthat matches. The security of blockchains is based on the belief thatordinary computers can only perform this kind of brute force attack overtime scales that are entirely impractical, such as the age of theuniverse. By contrast, quantum computers are much faster (1000s of timesfaster) and consequently pose a much greater threat.

FIG. 8B illustrates an example 850 of a quantum-secure blockchain 852which implements quantum key distribution (QKD) to protect against aquantum computing attack. In this example, blockchain users can verifyeach other's identities using QKD. This sends information using quantumparticles such as photons, which cannot be copied by an eavesdropperwithout destroying them. In this way, a sender and a receiver throughthe blockchain can be sure of each other's identity.

In the example of FIG. 8B, four users are present 854, 856, 858, and860. Each of pair of users may share a secret key 862 (i.e., a QKD)between themselves. Since there are four nodes in this example, sixpairs of nodes exists, and therefore six different secret keys 862 areused including QKD_(AB), QKD_(AC), QKD_(AD), QKD_(BC), QKD_(BD), andQKD_(CD). Each pair can create a QKD by sending information usingquantum particles such as photons, which cannot be copied by aneavesdropper without destroying them. In this way, a pair of users canbe sure of each other's identity.

The operation of the blockchain 852 is based on two procedures (i)creation of transactions, and (ii) construction of blocks that aggregatethe new transactions. New transactions may be created similar to atraditional blockchain network. Each transaction may contain informationabout a sender, a receiver, a time of creation, an amount (or value) tobe transferred, a list of reference transactions that justifies thesender has funds for the operation, and the like. This transactionrecord is then sent to all other nodes where it is entered into a poolof unconfirmed transactions. Here, two parties (i.e., a pair of usersfrom among 854-860) authenticate the transaction by providing theirshared secret key 862 (QKD). This quantum signature can be attached toevery transaction making it exceedingly difficult to tamper with. Eachnode checks their entries with respect to a local copy of the blockchain852 to verify that each transaction has sufficient funds. However, thetransactions are not yet confirmed.

Rather than perform a traditional mining process on the blocks, theblocks may be created in a decentralized manner using a broadcastprotocol. At a predetermined period of time (e.g., seconds, minutes,hours, etc.) the network may apply the broadcast protocol to anyunconfirmed transaction thereby to achieve a Byzantine agreement(consensus) regarding a correct version of the transaction. For example,each node may possess a private value (transaction data of thatparticular node). In a first round, nodes transmit their private valuesto each other. In subsequent rounds, nodes communicate the informationthey received in the previous round from other nodes. Here, honest nodesare able to create a complete set of transactions within a new block.This new block can be added to the blockchain 852. In one embodiment thefeatures and/or the actions described and/or depicted herein can occuron or with respect to the blockchain 852.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example system 900 that supports one or more ofthe example embodiments described and/or depicted herein. The system 900comprises a computer system/server 902, which is operational withnumerous other general purpose or special purpose computing systemenvironments or configurations. Examples of well-known computingsystems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable foruse with computer system/server 902 include, but are not limited to,personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thickclients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computersystems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include anyof the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 902 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 902 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 9, computer system/server 902 in cloud computing node900 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 902 may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units 904, a systemmemory 906, and a bus that couples various system components includingsystem memory 906 to processor 904.

The bus represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 902 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 902, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. System memory906, in one embodiment, implements the flow diagrams of the otherfigures. The system memory 906 can include computer system readablemedia in the form of volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM)910 and/or cache memory 912. Computer system/server 902 may furtherinclude other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computersystem storage media. By way of example only, storage system 914 can beprovided for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatilemagnetic media (not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Althoughnot shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to aremovable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and anoptical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable,non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other opticalmedia can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to thebus by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depictedand described below, memory 906 may include at least one program producthaving a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configuredto carry out the functions of various embodiments of the application.

Program/utility 916, having a set (at least one) of program modules 918,may be stored in memory 906 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 918 generally carry out the functionsand/or methodologies of various embodiments of the application asdescribed herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentapplication may be embodied as a system, method, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present application may take theform of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present application may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Computer system/server 902 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices 920 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display922, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact withcomputer system/server 902; and/or any devices (e.g., network card,modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 902 to communicate withone or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur viaI/O interfaces 924. Still yet, computer system/server 902 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 926. As depicted, network adapter 926communicates with the other components of computer system/server 902 viaa bus. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 902. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Although an exemplary embodiment of at least one of a system, method,and non-transitory computer readable medium has been illustrated in theaccompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detaileddescription, it will be understood that the application is not limitedto the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications, and substitutions as set forth and defined by thefollowing claims. For example, the capabilities of the system of thevarious figures can be performed by one or more of the modules orcomponents described herein or in a distributed architecture and mayinclude a transmitter, receiver or pair of both. For example, all orpart of the functionality performed by the individual modules, may beperformed by one or more of these modules. Further, the functionalitydescribed herein may be performed at various times and in relation tovarious events, internal or external to the modules or components. Also,the information sent between various modules can be sent between themodules via at least one of: a data network, the Internet, a voicenetwork, an Internet Protocol network, a wireless device, a wired deviceand/or via plurality of protocols. Also, the messages sent or receivedby any of the modules may be sent or received directly and/or via one ormore of the other modules.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a “system” could be embodiedas a personal computer, a server, a console, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a smartphoneor any other suitable computing device, or combination of devices.Presenting the above-described functions as being performed by a“system” is not intended to limit the scope of the present applicationin any way but is intended to provide one example of many embodiments.Indeed, methods, systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may beimplemented in localized and distributed forms consistent with computingtechnology.

It should be noted that some of the system features described in thisspecification have been presented as modules, in order to moreparticularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, amodule may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom verylarge-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelfsemiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discretecomponents. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable arraylogic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or thelike.

A module may also be at least partially implemented in software forexecution by various types of processors. An identified unit ofexecutable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified module need not be physically locatedtogether but may comprise disparate instructions stored in differentlocations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module andachieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may bestored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a harddisk drive, flash device, random access memory (RAM), tape, or any othersuch medium used to store data.

Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within modules and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork.

It will be readily understood that the components of the application, asgenerally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended tolimit the scope of the application as claimed but is merelyrepresentative of selected embodiments of the application.

One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that theabove may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or withhardware elements in configurations that are different than those whichare disclosed. Therefore, although the application has been describedbased upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those ofskill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternativeconstructions would be apparent.

While preferred embodiments of the present application have beendescribed, it is to be understood that the embodiments described areillustrative only and the scope of the application is to be definedsolely by the appended claims when considered with a full range ofequivalents and modifications (e.g., protocols, hardware devices,software platforms etc.) thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system comprising: a storageconfigured to store a unique identifier and a security value from anobject; a processor configured to retrieve a previously stored securityvalue of the object from a database based on the received uniqueidentifier, determine that the object is verified based on the receivedsecurity value and the previously stored security value, and modify thepreviously stored security value to generate a modified security value;and a network interface configured to transmit the modified securityvalue to the database.
 2. The computing system of claim 1, furthercomprising a reader configured to read, via a radio frequency, theunique identifier and the security value from a storage on the object.3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configuredto incrementally change a value of the previously stored security valueto generate the modified security value.
 4. The computing system ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that theobject is verified in response to a determination that the previouslystored security value remains unchanged with respect to the receivedsecurity value.
 5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to control the network interface totransmit the modified security value to the object and receive themodified security value from the object with a signature of the objectadded thereto.
 6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the processoris further configured to control the network interface to transmit themodified security value with the signature created by the object andadded thereto, in response to verification of the signature created bythe object and added to the modified security value.
 7. The computingsystem of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the network interface to transmit a transfer request of theobject with the modified security value included therein.
 8. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configuredto sign the modified security value with a client key prior totransmission of the modified security value to the database.
 9. A methodcomprising: receiving a unique identifier and a security value from anobject; retrieving a previously stored security value of the object froma database based on the received unique identifier; determining that theobject is verified based on the received security value and thepreviously stored security value; and modifying the previously storedsecurity value to generate a modified security value and transmittingthe modified security value to the database.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the receiving comprises reading, via a radio frequency, theunique identifier and the security value from a storage on the object.11. The method of claim 9, wherein the modifying comprises incrementallychanging a value of the previously stored security value to generate themodified security value.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thedetermining comprises determining the object is verified in response todetermining that the previously stored security value remains unchangedwith respect to the received security value.
 13. The method of claim 9,further comprising transmitting the modified security value to theobject and receiving the modified security value from the object with asignature of the object added thereto.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the modified securityvalue with the signature created by the object and added thereto, inresponse to verification of the signature created by the object andadded to the modified security value.
 15. The method of claim 9, whereinthe transmitting comprises transmitting a transfer request of the objectwith the modified security value included therein.
 16. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising signing the modified security value with aclient key prior to transmitting the modified security value to thedatabase.
 17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprisinginstructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method comprising: receiving a unique identifier and asecurity value from an object; retrieving a previously stored securityvalue of the object from a database based on the received uniqueidentifier; determining that the object is verified based on thereceived security value and the previously stored security value; andmodifying the previously stored security value to generate a modifiedsecurity value and transmitting the modified security value to thedatabase.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,wherein the receiving comprises reading, via a radio frequency, theunique identifier and the security value from a storage on the object.19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein themodifying comprise incrementally changing a value of the previouslystored security value to generate the modified security value.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein thedetermining comprises determining the object is verified in response todetermining that the previously stored security value remains unchangedwith respect to the received security value.